http://www.dairydoingmore.org/Environment/DiscoveryFarms/discoveryfarmpractices.aspx UW-Discovery Farms Implement Environmental Management Practices Three Wisconsin dairy farmers discuss their environmental challenges and the science-based solutions developed on their farms through the UW-Discovery Farms program. UW-Discovery Farms uses real working farms throughout Wisconsin's diverse agricultural landscape to find solutions for different environmental challenges. Here are a few examples. Sierra Club and farms - working together A flume serves as a collection station for water samples and waterflow records on Bragger Farm. The Bragger family, who owns and operates a farm near Independence, Wis., earned the "Conservation Farmers of the Year" title in 2001 and was named recipient of Wisconsin's Leopold Conservation Award in 2011. As a participant in the Discovery Farms program, the Braggers installed thousands of feet of grassed waterways and buffers on their land to successfully prevent runoff and allow sediment and nutrients to settle out prior to entering nearby waterways. The Braggers also built small check dams to reduce storm flow. (Review Discovery Farms' Bragger Farm report.) Dennis Frame, UW-Discovery Farms co-director, and Joe Bragger shared some of the program's results with Sierra Club members, explaining that the natural contribution of woodland and grassland to overall phosphorus runoff into streams was significant enough to surprise even soil scientists. Once this natural runoff was identified on the Bragger farm, they installed grassed waterways downhill from the wooded areas to help filter out more nutrient runoff. Waterways on Soaring Eagle Dairy are protected by buffer strips located throughout the farm. Water and energy conservation Located on the other side of the state near Lake Michigan, Soaring Eagle Dairy also participated in the UW-Discovery Farms program. Buffer strips line their farm fields that lie adjacent to streams so nutrients seep into the soil and stay out of waterways. "In this region of Wisconsin, the establishment and maintenance of grassed waterways in areas of concentrated flow is critical," stated Frame. Subsurface drainage is used for agricultural, residential and industrial purposes to remove excess water from poorly drained land without moving the soil and its valuable nutrients. For farmers, such drainage systems improve timeliness of field operations, enhance growing conditions for crop production, increase crop yields on poorly drained soils, and improve overall soil quality by decreasing soil erosion and compaction. UW-Discovery Farms' trials conducted at Soaring Eagle Dairy have helped researchers develop recommendations to most effectively use tile drainage

systems. (Review UW-Discovery Farms' report on Soaring Eagle Dairy.) Responsible tillage methods No-till planting has been used by Koepke Farms for more than 20 years. Recognized by the Sand County Foundation, the Koepke family of Koepke Farms, Oconomowoc, maintains cropland for future generations through strip cropping, crop rotations, responsible tillage methods and drainage tiles. "Every day is Earth Day when you make your living off the land." ~ John Koepke As part of the UW-Discovery Farms program, researchers are determining how much nitrogen and phosphorus are entering a stream system through surface water runoff (waterways) and tile systems. The Koepke farm has an extensive tile line system in combination with long-term, no-till practices. For more than 20 years, the Koepkes have been practicing no-till planting to minimize soil runoff and enhance moisture and nutrient absorption by crops. They apply organic fertilizer (cattle manure) and commercial fertilizer based on their annually prepared nutrient management plan. This plan outlines conservation practices designed to use fertilizer effectively, while also protecting natural resources. The plan involves soil and manure testing, erosion control practices and timing of fertilizer/manure applications. Through thorough planning and implementation, a nutrient management plan helps every farmer supply the proper nutrients for optimal crop yields, minimize runoff of pollutants to surface water and groundwater, and maintain or improve soil condition. (Review UW-Discovery Farms' Koepke Farms report.) http://www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org/Home.aspx UW-Discovery Farms